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On New York visit, Norway PM Solberg speaks about menstruation

The Local Norway
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On New York visit, Norway PM Solberg speaks about menstruation
Erna Solberg during a previous visit to New York City. File photo: Pontus Höök / NTB scanpix

Norway’s prime minister Erna Solberg spoke about menstruation at an anti-poverty event in New York City on Monday.

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The PM was speaking about women’s health taboos at the Global Citizen Live event in the American city, where she is currently present for this week’s UN general assembly.

“It is still the case in many countries around the world that getting their period is the reason girls stop going to school. They do not have toilets or washing facilities or are seen as dirty,” Solberg told broadcaster NRK.

“This makes it difficult for girls to handle menstruation with dignity, and we must not let this practice deprive girls of our right to education,” the PM said on stage at the event in Greenwich Village.

Solberg added that she wanted to use her term as prime minister to inspire girls.

“When I travel around the world and talk about sustainability goals, I often find that girls come up and ask what it’s like to be a female prime minister. They have heard a lot of good things about equality in Norway,” she told NRK.

North Korea and Iran are likely to be on the agenda when US President Donald Trump gives a speech at the general assembly on Tuesday.

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“I am glad that it seems that the Americans and Trump’s administration now see that working with the new general secretary can provide solutions for a more effective UN,” Solberg told NRK, adding that she believed recent tension with North Korea may have given Trump a clearer idea of the UN’s values.

Solberg will also use her visit to New York to campaign for continued efforts against climate change and implementation of the Paris Agreement, writes the broadcaster.

READ ALSO: Norway's PM criticised for comparing neo-Nazis to far left

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